2016 LOI Champions

[geysir]

Not as close as last season but just as hard earned in very different circumstances.
3 in a row is special, a very special achievement for Dundalk.
As most everybody is aware this team was not bankrolled, rose from the gutter to being the best team in the land in no time, playing good football and an inspiration for other clubs.

[joey B]

Don't tell Cork till after tomorrow lads ,cheers!!!!!! ;)

[osarusan]

Congrats Dundork.

Easily the best team in LOI for the last few years.

Probably the best LOI team ever.

[swinfordfc]

Well done Dundalk - well deserved!

I think with out doubt their are the best ever LOI team!

[BonnieShels]

Second all that.

Congrats Dundalk

[Mr A]

Well done Dundalk. Unbelievable the way they kept going.

[placid casual]

Not as close as last season but just as hard earned in very different circumstances.
3 in a row is special, a very special achievement for Dundalk.
As most everybody is aware this team was not bankrolled, rose from the gutter to being the best team in the land in no time, playing good football and an inspiration for other clubs.

are you taking the pi$$, or just not very well informed.
They are the 3 in a row champions precisely because they were bankrolled..
do you think the likes of horgan, finn et al went to dundalk because of their wonderful playing surface? they went because of good contracts.
i've no issue with that whatsoeve by the way, but its folly to think otherwise

fair play to dundalk on their sucess- its well deserved.
they have redefined the way to win the league , with fitness, nutrition and professional attitude being uppermost in their players mindset.

[TonyD]

are you taking the pi$$, or just not very well informed.
They are the 3 in a row champions precisely because they were bankrolled..
do you think the likes of horgan, finn et al went to dundalk because of their wonderful playing surface? they went because of good contracts.
i've no issue with that whatsoeve by the way, but its folly to think otherwise

.

Agree with this. And that's not to diminish Dundalks achievement in any way.The simple fact is no team wins the league without being bankrolled, even in our cash strapped league. What Dundalk have done well is push on after the first title win and strengthen the squad, something Pats failed to do after we won it, sadly. We can only look on jealously now and hope that our turn will come again. What Dundalk are achieving in Europe though is genuinely unprecedented and could be a real game changer for the league. The rest of us will just have to try harder to compete, on and off the pitch.

[legendz]

What Dundalk are achieving in Europe though is genuinely unprecedented and could be a real game changer for the league. The rest of us will just have to try harder to compete, on and off the pitch.While the knockout format of Europa League qualifying is difficult, is it beyond Cork City to beat the likes of Genk to make the playoffs in the next few years? It seems if Stephen Kenny was starting out in ELQ1, he'd set a clear target of making the group stage.

Back on topic: Congratulations Dundalk! Absolutely fantastic and fully deserved. League champions for the league to be proud of! :)

[ger121]

Congrats to Dundalk. Their achievement is all the more remarkable given the fixture congestion they've had to deal with over the last number of weeks. I've been following the League of Ireland for 25 years and for me they are the best team I've ever seen. What is incredible, is they look like they aren't done yet. Who would bet against them setting the bar even higher.

[ToberonaTornado]

No point in having a few quid if you're not going to spend it and spend it wisely which is what we've done ;)
Just A wee break from the celebrations here in OP to let everyone know we're CHAMPIONS AGAIN and we'll be back next year to go for 4 in a row! up da town & fu*k the begrudgers.
Town Town Town

[jinxy lilywhite]

While the knockout format of Europa League qualifying is difficult, is it beyond Cork City to beat the likes of Genk to make the playoffs in the next few years? It seems if Stephen Kenny was starting out in ELQ1, he'd set a clear target of making the group stage.

Back on topic: Congratulations Dundalk! Absolutely fantastic and fully deserved. League champions for the league to be proud of! :)

I really don't know what you have against current loi sides in European competitonbut it is folly to think even at ELQ1 stage that you can path your way to the groups. Even at CLQ3 level where of you lose you fall into EL playoff stage.

In relation to placid casuals comment i would prefer to say we got "value for money" rather than bankrolled.

3 in a row really can't believe it. This team just keeps giving us great memories after memories and each time you think back to 4 years ago and helping friends organise table quizzes or poker classic satellites to get a couple of hundred quid to pay someone's wages and realise how far we have come.

I have stopped having any expectations in this team because they keep exceeding it freely and with a cherry on top.

[joey B]

Fantastic achievement by Dundalk and are without doubt for me the best Loi team ever.

What Dundalk must do now is invest in the infrastructure of the club ,starting with the ground,because I personally believe that they will be victims of their own success,I can see Horgan,Gannon and Stephen Kenny himself ending up cross channel before too long and maybe a couple more,no Irish team has ever been recognized in the British media as much as this Dundalk team and with it will come more interest in the players and manager.

[geysir]

are you taking the pi$$, or just not very well informed.
They are the 3 in a row champions precisely because they were bankrolled..
do you think the likes of horgan, finn et al went to dundalk because of their wonderful playing surface? they went because of good contracts.
i've no issue with that whatsoeve by the way, but its folly to think otherwise

fair play to dundalk on their sucess- its well deserved.
they have redefined the way to win the league , with fitness, nutrition and professional attitude being uppermost in their players mindset.

Do you know what contracts the likes of Horgan have got at Dundalk, above and beyond what they would have gotten at Pats, Cork, Sligo or Shamrock Rovers?
if you do know then inform us, otherwise I'd assume the players like Horgan have contracts, normal enough top LOI player contracts, but ultimately are players who want to achieve, win stuff and make that extra effort. Have Dundalk spent more than they earned in the last 3 seasons?
Dundalk are historically parsimonious with players' wages.
Also what did Dundalk spend on player /manager wages in their first Kenny season where they finished 2nd to Pats? was that season bankrolled by "extra" income? if so then inform.

[Charlie Darwin]

Well done Dundalk. I thought Cork would finally do it this year but can't really argue the best team didn't win in the end.

[Charlie Darwin]

Have Dundalk spent more than they earned in the last 3 seasons?
With the exception of Dundalk this season on account of the Euro windfall, I'd say every LOI club spends more than it earns, significantly so in many cases. There is a benefactor or members fund or bank loan in use at every club, including Dundalk.

[Pablo Escobar]

Well done Dundalk. I thought Cork would finally do it this year but can't really argue the best team didn't win in the end.

I never felt we would win it tbh.

Congrats Dundalk on yet another league win.

They're fans come on and often have a go at us and Caulfield, but IMO that does their team a huge injustice. We've put up a massive points total again, and they've still cantered to a win.

[White Horse]

It's a great feeling to support a team that have won a third title in a row.

There were so many obstacles to overcome this season and yet the lads have won the title with two games to spare.

The mental strenth of the team was evident once again, not even Doyle gifting a penalty to Bohs was going to stop them last night.

[sbgawa]

It's a great feeling to support a team that have won a third title in a row.

There were so many obstacles to overcome this season and yet the lads have won the title with two games to spare.

The mental strenth of the team was evident once again, not even Doyle gifting a penalty to Bohs was going to stop them last night.

Congrats to Dundalk, best team all year. Can't wait for next season now. Withdrawal symptoms setting in already, hopefully the league will start earlier next year and we won't have as long to wait.

[Yossarian]

Withdrawal symptoms setting in already, hopefully the league will start earlier next year and we won't have as long to wait.

Im delighted that our season will run until December and then starts again in mid February. It'll be the shortest off season since we moved to the summer season.

It's a fantastic achievement to win it with 2 games to spare despite the fixture congestion and pressure of all these huge games. The success is all down to Stephen Kenny and I'm going to savour every moment of this and any more success we may get, as we all know how fleeting it is in this league.

[Straightstory]

Congrats to Dundalk - wonderful team.
What kind of side is Kenny going to put out against Pats and Galway? How many players cane he rest?

[seand]

Thanks. It's been an amazing few seasons. I almost have a scrap of sympathy for Cork who have clearly been head and shoulders above the rest but have had the extreme misfortune to run into this Dundalk team.

Just on the finance thing, of course Dundalk have used their relative wealth to bolster the squad. Horgan, Rogers, McEleney, McMillan and Benson were all established players who would have been wanted anywhere. (Finn and Kilduff weren't wanted at their clubs)

But the basis of this team is Stephen Kenny's incredible ability to pull together a squad and get the very best out of them. Make no mistake, at the start of 2013 any half decent club in the league would have had the money to bully Dundalk out of it and sign up any of our players. Nobody else wanted any of our extraordinary defence- Gartland, Boyle, Massey, Gannon. Nobody wanted O'Donnell, Meenan, Hoban or Towell.

Finn was mentioned above, but the acquistion wasn't the result of Dundalk outbidding Rovers.... Fenlon released Finn, reckoning Gavin Brennan to be a better fit. Rovers didn't want O'Donnell and nobody else was willing to take a chance.

[White Horse]

Thanks. It's been an amazing few seasons. I almost have a scrap of sympathy for Cork who have clearly been head and shoulders above the rest but have had the extreme misfortune to run into this Dundalk team.

Just on the finance thing, of course Dundalk have used their relative wealth to bolster the squad. Horgan, Rogers, McEleney, McMillan and Benson were all established players who would have been wanted anywhere. (Finn and Kilduff weren't wanted at their clubs)

But the basis of this team is Stephen Kenny's incredible ability to pull together a squad and get the very best out of them. Make no mistake, at the start of 2013 any half decent club in the league would have had the money to bully Dundalk out of it and sign up any of our players. Nobody else wanted any of our extraordinary defence- Gartland, Boyle, Massey, Gannon. Nobody wanted O'Donnell, Meenan, Hoban or Towell.

Finn was mentioned above, but the acquistion wasn't the result of Dundalk outbidding Rovers.... Fenlon released Finn, reckoning Gavin Brennan to be a better fit. Rovers didn't want O'Donnell and nobody else was willing to take a chance.

There wasn't exactly a queue of clubs looking for McMillan. He was a player who had "failed" at Pats and Sligo.

As for Kilduff, he was sitting in the stand in Inchicore.

[sbgawa]

Thanks. It's been an amazing few seasons. I almost have a scrap of sympathy for Cork who have clearly been head and shoulders above the rest but have had the extreme misfortune to run into this Dundalk team.

Just on the finance thing, of course Dundalk have used their relative wealth to bolster the squad. Horgan, Rogers, McEleney, McMillan and Benson were all established players who would have been wanted anywhere. (Finn and Kilduff weren't wanted at their clubs)

But the basis of this team is Stephen Kenny's incredible ability to pull together a squad and get the very best out of them. Make no mistake, at the start of 2013 any half decent club in the league would have had the money to bully Dundalk out of it and sign up any of our players. Nobody else wanted any of our extraordinary defence- Gartland, Boyle, Massey, Gannon. Nobody wanted O'Donnell, Meenan, Hoban or Towell.

Finn was mentioned above, but the acquistion wasn't the result of Dundalk outbidding Rovers.... Fenlon released Finn, reckoning Gavin Brennan to be a better fit. Rovers didn't want O'Donnell and nobody else was willing to take a chance.

Ah but back then Fenlon was the God that SK is today, plus ca Change, Plus C'est la meme chose...wonder who will be God in 3 years time ?

[geysir]

With the exception of Dundalk this season on account of the Euro windfall, I'd say every LOI club spends more than it earns, significantly so in many cases. There is a benefactor or members fund or bank loan in use at every club, including Dundalk.
A report on the accounts for 2014 (http://talkofthetown.ie/dundalk-fc-record-e26000-profit-for-2014/) season show Dundalk made a profit of €26k ,....... even after the FAi sliced off €34k in fines and fees, aka legalised baksheesh.
My point stands, Dundalk have not bankrolled their team to success above and beyond regular income (incl fundraising, sponsorship). There are no debts from running the club in 2014, no unpaid bills. If there is a loan somewhere, it is being managed.

[pineapple stu]

That report doesn't indicate if the club is or isn't being bankrolled in fairness.

Which isn't to diminish the fact that they've been winning the league with players other clubs didn't want.

[Charlie Darwin]

Nobody else wanted any of our extraordinary defence- Gartland, Boyle, Massey, Gannon. Nobody wanted O'Donnell, Meenan, Hoban or Towell.

Finn was mentioned above, but the acquistion wasn't the result of Dundalk outbidding Rovers.... Fenlon released Finn, reckoning Gavin Brennan to be a better fit. Rovers didn't want O'Donnell and nobody else was willing to take a chance.
Ah here. Rovers offered Towell a deal - he chose Dundalk and it was clearly a smart choice. Rovers offered Finn a deal but, surprise surprise, he decided he'd rather win titles and play European football. The likes of Gartland, Massey, etc wouldn't have attracted the attention of other teams at the top end of the table and Kenny's done a very good job, but they weren't exactly unwanted.

You'd swear Stephen Kenny had gone down the local orphanage and formed a team from the few who had use of both legs.


A report on the accounts for 2014 (http://talkofthetown.ie/dundalk-fc-record-e26000-profit-for-2014/) season show Dundalk made a profit of €26k ,....... even after the FAi sliced off €34k in fines and fees, aka legalised baksheesh.
My point stands, Dundalk have not bankrolled their team to success above and beyond regular income (incl fundraising, sponsorship). There are no debts from running the club in 2014, no unpaid bills. If there is a loan somewhere, it is being managed.
Accumulated profits isn't the same as a yearly profits. In fact, it's not necessarily a profit at all. It's fairly uncontroversial that Dundalk's owners have had to put their own money into the club over the past four years - there's nothing to be ashamed of. Every club does it because there just isn't the earning potential in this league outside of European prize money.

[White Horse]

You'd swear Stephen Kenny had gone down the local orphanage and formed a team from the few who had use of both legs.

Waifs and strays.

[sbgawa]

Congrats to Dundalk - wonderful team.
What kind of side is Kenny going to put out against Pats and Galway? How many players cane he rest?

Neither Pats or Galway have anything to play for so I cant see any complaints if he fields a complete second string.
Surely the priority should be giving the first team the best chance in Russia, who could object...

[legendz]

I really don't know what you have against current loi sides in European competitonbut it is folly to think even at ELQ1 stage that you can path your way to the groups. Even at CLQ3 level where of you lose you fall into EL playoff stage.
I've nothing at all against LoI sides in Europe. There was a question mark after the question can Cork City compete against the likes of Genk in a few years? Would Dundalk have gotten through over two legs against Genk? If Cork see themselves as genuine challengers to Dundalk's crown, they should be able to offer a similar threat to teams in the EL qualifiers as Dundalk would. Dundalk have set the bar.

[El-Pietro]

I maintain that Genk were a much tougher team then we could be reasonably expected to get a result against. They have continued to prove that in the Group stages, beating Athletic Bilbao last week. We actually gave them a real game in Belgium but they stepped up their performance in Cork. Genk I think were the second highest seed in the third round, and were in the top 10 for the playoff round even after Champions League teams dropped in.

[legendz]

I think there's been two Cypriot clubs competing in the European group stages in recent years. A second Cypriot club made progress in Europe following on from the success of another.

Dundalk have been improving in Europe year on year. Cork improved on last year. The question I guess is can they improve on this year? Obviously hard to answer with luck of the draw and the knockout nature of the qualifiers.

[Eminence Grise]

The best team usually wins the league, but not this year. Dundalk have been outstanding - 'best' hardly does them justice.

<Takes hat off and bows enviously>

[TonyD]

Neither Pats or Galway have anything to play for so I cant see any complaints if he fields a complete second string.
Surely the priority should be giving the first team the best chance in Russia, who could object...

No objections or complaints from me after last night ;). I,ve read two comments on it which sum it up for me. 1) Dundalk and Stephen Kenny have earned the right to field whatever team he wanted last night, and on Friday, and 2) Every manager in the league would have done the same, particularly with their schedule. It's not as if last night affected any other issues in the league - i.e relegation or Europe.

[sbgawa]

Sligo manager must be on a bonus for league position. I spoke to two pals who follow sligo and they couldn't give a toss.

[TonyD]

Sligo manager must be on a bonus for league position. I spoke to two pals who follow sligo and they couldn't give a toss.

It's the massive difference in prize money from the FAI obviously.....oh, wait......

[TonyD]

There wasn't exactly a queue of clubs looking for McMillan. He was a player who had "failed" at Pats and Sligo.

I'm really surprised at the progress McMillain has made at Dundalk. While it might be harsh to say he failed at Pats I would have said he was no better than average for us.

[Nah Nah Nah Nah]

Sligo manager must be on a bonus for league position. I spoke to two pals who follow sligo and they couldn't give a toss.

Even if he was if he can't beat Wexford at home he doesn't deserve it